Introduction to the Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre

(Published: May 2016)Citation: R. L. Johnstone and A. M. Hansen. “Introduction to the Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre.” Arctic Review on Law and Politics, Vol. 7, No. 1, 2016, pp. 107–108. http://dx.doi.org/10.17585/arctic.v7.42

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI): a single-blind randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Remote ischaemic conditioning with transient ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). We investigated whether remote ischaemic conditioning could reduce the incidence of cardiac death and hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months. METHODS: We did an international investigator-initiated, prospective, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI) at 33 centres across the UK, Denmark, Spain, and Serbia. Patients (age >18 years) with suspected STEMI and who were eligible for PPCI were randomly allocated (1:1, stratified by centre with a permuted block method) to receive standard treatment (including a sham simulated remote ischaemic conditioning intervention at UK sites only) or remote ischaemic conditioning treatment (intermittent ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm through four cycles of 5-min inflation and 5-min deflation of an automated cuff device) before PPCI. Investigators responsible for data collection and outcome assessment were masked to treatment allocation. The primary combined endpoint was cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02342522) and is completed. FINDINGS: Between Nov 6, 2013, and March 31, 2018, 5401 patients were randomly allocated to either the control group (n=2701) or the remote ischaemic conditioning group (n=2700). After exclusion of patients upon hospital arrival or loss to follow-up, 2569 patients in the control group and 2546 in the intervention group were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At 12 months post-PPCI, the Kaplan-Meier-estimated frequencies of cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure (the primary endpoint) were 220 (8·6%) patients in the control group and 239 (9·4%) in the remote ischaemic conditioning group (hazard ratio 1·10 [95% CI 0·91-1·32], p=0·32 for intervention versus control). No important unexpected adverse events or side effects of remote ischaemic conditioning were observed. INTERPRETATION: Remote ischaemic conditioning does not improve clinical outcomes (cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure) at 12 months in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI. FUNDING: British Heart Foundation, University College London Hospitals/University College London Biomedical Research Centre, Danish Innovation Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, TrygFonden

Review essay of Ian Carter, Anna Elisabetta Galeotti & Valeria Ottonelli (eds.), Eguale Rispetto (Milan: Bruno Mondadori, 2008)

A review of Ian Carter, Anna Elisabetta Galeotti & Valeria Ottonelli (eds.), Eguale Rispetto (Milan: Bruno Mondadori, 2008

Colonizzazione, decolonizzazione incompleta e la creazione dei popoli indigeni. I fondamenti dei loro diritti ‘speciali’

Questo articolo discute la storia del diritto internazionale in materia di colonizzazione, da Francisco de Vitoria ai giorni nostri. Si rivela le incongruenze e le ingiustizie nei confronti dei popoli indigeni che continuano a vincolare i loro diritti all’autodeterminazione su una base di uguaglianza con gli altri popoli oggi. Decostruendo le narrative legali dell’occupazione delle regioni polari, metterò in luce le contraddizioni al centro dei progetti coloniali e sfiderò gli avvocati internazionali – in particolari quelli ‘positivisti’ – ad interrogarsi sulle loro ipotesi riguardanti l’occupazione e la sovranità statale. Si mettono in evidenza le lacune tra la teoria e la pratica dell’occupazione delle regioni polari e si mette altresì in dubbio la legittimità delle rivendicazioni degli Stati. Anzi, si dimostra che l’occupazione Indigena nell’Artico è molto più antica e giuridicamente più forte di quella di qualsiasi stato. This article discusses the history of international law in respect of colonisation, from Francisco de Vitoria to the present day. It reveals the inconsistencies and injustices with regard to Indigenous Peoples that continue to constrain their rights to self-determination today on an equal basis with other Peoples. By deconstructing the legal explanations for the occupations of the polar regions, it demonstrates the contradictions at the heart of the colonial project and challenges international lawyers, in particular “positivist” international lawyers, to re-evaluate their hypotheses regarding occupation and state sovereignty. It highlights the gaps between the theory and practice of occupation of the polar regions and questions the legitimacy of states’ territorial claims. Instead, it shows that Indigenous occupation in the Arctic is much older and legally stronger than that of any state

The Greenland Reconciliation Commission: one more step towards independence?

What did the Greenland Reconciliation Commission do? How do people feel about it today? How does it relate to other strategies for decolonisation in Greenland? These are some of the questions I asked Greenlanders during my visit to Nuuk in October and November 2021. I found that while most people considered the process a good idea, it had not achieved as much as had been hoped

Polar Law after the Invasion of Ukraine

Russian aggression against Ukraine has triggered doubts about the viability of international law to address complex problems, including in the polar regions. Nevertheless, this article demonstrates that international legal approaches remain important tools to address challenges and disputes in polar law. The article argues that international law remains of critical importance for the peaceful governance of the Poles. It illustrates this argument with a review of, amongst other institutions, the functioning of the Arctic Council, the Antarctic Treaty System, selected issues in the law of the sea and the rights of Indigenous Peoples